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For Immediate Release
October, 12 2021, 04:02pm EDT
Contact:
Kyle Gracey, kyle@priceofoil.org
Collin Rees, collin@priceofoil.org
New Report: Emissions From Proposed U.S. Fossil Fuel Projects Equivalent to Doubling U.S. Coal Plants if Biden Approves Construction
Over 20 new U.S. oil and gas projects would derail U.N. climate commitments.
WASHINGTON
Increased greenhouse gas emissions under President Joe Biden would be equivalent to more than doubling existing emissions from U.S. coal-powered plants -- a 17% increase compared to 2019 levels -- if the United States moves ahead with 21 major fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are pending review by the Biden Administration.
The findings come from a new briefing released today by Oil Change International, which analyzed the projected emissions of new pipelines and new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals that have been proposed by oil and gas companies. The Biden Administration has the authority to stop the proposed projects before they are completed. The projects include two major fossil fuel pipelines and 20 LNG terminals across 17 states and the Gulf of Mexico.
View the full report here: https://priceofoil.org/biden-GHG-emissions-briefing
The report comes as President Biden prepares for the upcoming international climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland next month, and during the People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action in Washington, DC, where thousands of protestors are urging Biden to stop fossil fuel projects. While the U.S. rejoined the Paris Agreement under the Biden Administration, the construction of new pipelines and LNG export terminals to liquefy and ship gas overseas would lock the United States into continued fossil fuel extraction and likely derail the nation's climate commitments.
"We urge the Biden administration to course-correct," said Kyle Gracey, Research Analyst at Oil Change International. "Other nations are looking closely at the U.S. and President Biden, who will set the tone for how we address this crisis as a global community. Building new fossil fuel infrastructure and increasing U.S. emissions at a time when we must persuade other countries to reduce their use of fossil fuels sends the wrong signal to every nation. As alarming as these projected emissions are, the silver lining is that President Biden has the authority and opportunity to stop these projects."
The latest IPCC report, which declared a "code red for humanity," calls for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, and the International Energy Agency's Net Zero by 2050 analysis suggests that no new oil and gas fields should be extracted. President Biden has pledged to make the United States a leader on climate change, and this new briefing shows clearly that rejecting the dozens of proposed fossil fuel projects is a key part of that transformation.
Click here to read the report: https://priceofoil.org/biden-GHG-emissions-briefing
Oil Change International is a research, communications, and advocacy organization focused on exposing the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitating the ongoing transition to clean energy.
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Sanders to Rally With Mamdani in Support of NY Progressive House Candidates
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the progressive candidates would create "a Democratic Party driven by big ideas, not big money."
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Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning to rally with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to endorse a slate of progressive New York candidates for the US House of Representatives.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Sanders (I-Vt.), who was born in Brooklyn, plans to headline a rally alongside Mamdani and three insurgent progressive candidates—Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander—who are in primary races against establishment Democrats.
In promoting the rally, Mamdani said he endorsed the insurgent progressives to create "a Democratic Party driven by big ideas, not big money."
Valdez is currently running for an open seat in New York's 7th Congressional District, where polls show her strongest competitor is Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
Avila Chevalier, meanwhile, is challenging five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) in New York's 13th Congressional District, while Lander is trying to unseat Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in New York's 10th Congressional District.
Polling released by Emerson College late last month showed Lander with a lead of more than 20 points over Goldman, with Valdez locked in a tight race against Reynoso.
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With eligibility verification and fees, the rule was projected to force 2 million people to drop their insurance, said cities and advocacy groups that sued the administration.
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Officials in several cities joined advocacy groups in celebrating a federal court ruling Friday that blocked the Trump administration's rule which, they argued in a lawsuit, illegally imposed new fees and created barriers "that would make it harder—and in some cases impossible—for people to get and keep affordable health insurance."
The cities of Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore; and Chicago were among the plaintiffs in a case filed last week in the US District Court of Maryland against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and other Trump officials, arguing that the so-called "Marketplace Integrity and Affordability" rule would destabilize the insurance market and penalize vulnerable families, "rather than promoting affordability."
The rule was introduced in May, months after Affordable Care Act subsidies that had made ACA insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people were allowed to expire by Republicans in Congress. More than 1 million fewer Americans signed up for coverage in ACA exchanges after the tax credits expired, and the Trump administration claimed that the new rule's provision of more "catastrophic" insurance plans would give more "choice" to people who couldn't afford plans that cover more healthcare needs.
The rule also required additional verification for low-income households before they enroll in ACA plans, with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz claiming the new requirement "strengthens eligibility checks, cracks down on abuse, and gives insurers more flexibility to offer affordable, consumer-focused coverage options."
“Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2026 rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage."
The verification requirements and new fees could cause as many as 2 million people to drop their coverage, said Democracy Forward, which represented the plaintiffs, as well as raising annual costs by about $700 for families.
“Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2026 rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage, negating the ACA’s goal of extending affordable health coverage to all Americans, and instead increasing the population of underinsured and uninsured Americans,” the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.
In the ruling on Friday, US District Judge Brendan Hurson vacated several provisions of the rule, including ones that revoked guaranteed insurance coverage for people with past-due premiums; required eligibility verification for the special ACA enrollment period; and imposed a $5 premium penalty on people who automatically reenrolled in their plans.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the rule's provisions were among "the Trump-Vance administration’s illegal attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act."
“This ruling is a significant win for millions of Americans, including thousands in Ohio, who would have been denied coverage or seen their out-of-pocket costs skyrocket due to this president and his administration," said Klein. "We will continue to fight to protect healthcare coverage for all Americans whenever it’s threatened.”
Richard Trent, executive director of Main Street Alliance, a small business advocacy group that also joined the lawsuit, said that "the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act would have increased costs, created unnecessary barriers to coverage, and made it harder for entrepreneurs and workers to get the care they need."
"Small business owners cannot grow their businesses when healthcare becomes more expensive and less accessible," said Trent. "We are grateful that the court has protected these critical safeguards and reaffirmed that affordable healthcare remains essential to a strong economy and thriving Main Streets across the country."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also applauded the ruling, but emphasized that healthcare advocates' "work is not over."
As Common Dreams reported Friday, tied up in the Trump administration's push for more Americans to use high-deductible catastrophic insurance—which is likely to present families with high out-of-pocket costs—is a plan to push households into more medical debt by allowing them to take out loans directly from their health insurance companies.
“We will continue to fight back against any attempts by this administration to slash protections under the ACA," said Scott, "and will not stop fighting until every person in this nation has access to the affordable, quality healthcare they deserve.”
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The fundraiser comes as a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed food insecurity in the US has reached its highest levels since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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A super political action committee created to support Donald Trump is preparing to hold a big-money fundraiser at the president's Virginia golf course that will charge attendees $1 million each.
As reported by NBC News, MAGA, Inc. will host the $1 million-per-plate event at the Trump National Golf Club Washington DC on the day before the president is set to host Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events at the White House as part of his 80th birthday celebration.
"The fundraiser is at least the sixth such $1 million-per-person event held by Trump-aligned groups for the midterm elections," reported NBC News. "Republicans at nearly all levels hold a significant midterm cash advantage over Democrats, who expect to be outpaced financially in many key House and Senate races."
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, linked the ritzy fundraiser to Trump's economic policies that have primarily benefited the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the working class.
"The comingling of 250th anniversary events, Trump’s UFC fight, and a $1 million per-plate fundraiser on Trump’s own birthday," Gilbert said, "gives corporate interests and wealthy donors not just an ultimate fight—but the ultimate opportunity to pay tribute to the president. Rather than celebrate our nation’s anniversary in the bipartisan manner directed by Congress, the Trump administration has directed public money and public property to politicized events."
"Major corporations, such as Chevron, Exxon, MasterCard, and many more," Gilbert added, "should be ashamed to be associated with this corrupt spectacle."
The fundraiser comes as a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed food insecurity in the US has reached its highest levels since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The New York Fed researchers said their study found “a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children,” as well as “a contemporaneous increase in pessimism among the same groups, along with a sharp decline in job-finding expectations.”
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